Habitat:

Illustrated
on this page are some native northern Ontario native wildflowers
that occur in waste areas.

Waste
areas occur along the roads, highways, and empty lots in the city of Sudbury.

Waste
areas have poor soil dominated by sand, gravel, rock, and little
organic material. Rain water either runs off quickly or percolates
quickly into the porous soil. The soil is dry and has little capacity
to store water. Road sides, gravel pits, rock dumps, sandy areas
beside sidewalks or dwellings are all typical "waste areas".
These areas are open to wind and are VERY hot.

Tall
plants in waste areas adapt by developing deep tap roots to assure
access to water. Other plants are short with spreading roots. Their
short size minimizes exposure to drying winds. Spreading roots
rapidly "drink" rain water before it runs off or seeps into
the porous soil.

Flower:
Violet-blue with yellow centre; pointed tip; 6 mm in diameter; on
short stalk; 3 petals and 3 sepals that look like the petals, each
tipped with a small point; occur at end of stem; exceeded by pointed
bract; June-July.

Habitat: Open
fields, meadows or hillsides, damp sites in old fields, or along lake shores.

Height: 10-60 cm.

Interest: Grass
with eyes? Blue-eyed grass is not really a grass. It is an unusual
member of the iris family because it is native to prairie grasslands,
whereas most iris prefer wet lands. The eye is the yellow centre of
the flower. Blue-eyed grass is a morning flower- it opens its flower
in the early morning, but closes at midday.

Common
ragweed; native annual; reproduces by seed; also known as Short ragweed.

Family: Aster
Composite (Compositae)

Flower: Not showy;
small, 2 to 5 mm across; green; inconspicuous but very numerous;
forms a distinctive inflorescence; individual florets either male or
female on same flower head; both male flower heads and female flower
heads usually present on the same plant; male flower heads, which
produce pollen, form an elongated raceme cluster at ends of branches;
female flower heads, which produce seed, occur in axils near the base
of each male flower head; August to October.

Leaves: Lower
leaves are opposite (2 per node); leaves become alternate (1 per
node) higher on the plant; compound and finely divided; divisions
usually coarsely toothed.

Interest: Common
ragweed is very common in southern and near north of Ontario, but is
rare or absent in northern and northwestern Ontario. The pollen of
common ragweed causes allergic reactions (hay
fever) in many people in August and September. The name
"ragweed" is a reference to the ragged, divided look of its
leaves. The scientific epithet "artemisiifolia"
refers to its foliage, whose shape resembles the plant "artemisia".

General Interest:
This is one of the first wildflowers to grow in areas burned by fire,
hence its name. The flowers start to open at the bottom of the stem.
By the time the upper flowers are in bloom, the lower ones have
developed a seed pod and started to go to seed. The seed pods are
distinctive, up to 6 cm long, reddish brown, and angle upward. Each
seed pod is filled with rows of downy seeds that become airborne when
the seed pods dry and split open. Fireweed is the floral emblem of Yukon.

Interest: This
variety may be Bicknell's cranesbill because it has flowers in pairs.
Geranium comes from the Greek word geranos, which mean's
crane's bill. The name Geranium originated because the seed
pods resemble the bill of a crane.Bicknell's
cranesbill is similar to Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum).
On Manitoulin Island, Herb-Robert is common on disturbed woodland
areas and on cobble shores. The Bicknell's Cranesbill leaf
lobes are:- less toothed
than those of Herb-Robert;- are on separate petioles.The petals of
Bicknell's Cranesbill are notched at the tip, but are not in Herb Robert.

Flower: Blue and
sometimes white; in leaf axils; the seed pod swells into a ball up to
0.8 cm wide, hence the species name "inflata";
irregular in shape; up to 0.6cm wide; July-September.

Leaves: Alternate;
up to 6 cm long; can be as wide as 3.5 cm; lanceolate, ovate or
obviate and toothed.

Stem: Branching;

Height: Up to 60 cm.

Habitat: Weedy
fields, roadsides, trails through woods, and in partial shade and
usually in dry soils.

General Interest:
Lobelia contains the alkaline 'lobeline' which is used to help people
to give up smoking tobacco. This compound occurs in many commercial
anti-smoking mixtures because it mimics the effects of nicotine. When
chewed, Lobelia tastes similar to tobacco and produces effects like
those of nicotine. However, when chewed, the leaves induce vomiting,
headache and nausea. In larger doses it is reported
to have caused death.

Flower: Yellow
disc florets at centre and dry, showy white, woolly, tiny petal-like
bracts that resemble florets; the bracts and disc florets together
create a globular flower head in a flat terminal cluster; July to September.

Stem: Soft cottony
cover; branched towards the top of the stem; erect, woolly.

Height: up to 0.75 m.

Habitat: Dry old
fields, clearings, vacant lots.

Interest: Can a
flower last forever? Commonly used as a dried flower because the stem
and flowers dry well and retain their fresh-looking form for a long
time. The common name is a translation of the Greek word anaphalis,
meaning everlasting, and margarit, meaning pearl.

Interest: Partly
parasitic on roots of other plants by attaching suckers to the roots
and drawing the nutrients required. Member of Snapdragon family. As
the name suggests, Eyebright was used as a traditional remedy for eye
problems. The flowers have both male and female organs
(hermaphrodite), are pollinated by Bees, and the plant is self-fertile.

Stem: Erect,
branching. This plant is growing in the open, so it is bushier than
normal. Typically, the Canada Hawkweed is more erect and less bushy.

Height: 0.5 - 1.5 m.

Habitat: Common in
vacant lots, sides of roads and railroad tracks, and edges of fields.
Canada Hawkweed prefers to grow in a sunny location and it tolerates drought.

Interest: The
Canada Hawkweed is native to the Americas. The Canada Hawkweed has
the property that it can reproduce and form a seed without requiring
fertilization by pollen. This property is called "apomixis".

Flower: Yellow;
about 1.5 cm i diameter; numerous flower heads that are like a
dandelion in form, but smaller; flower heads are hairy; the involucre
that surrounds the flower head is also covered with hairs; flowers
occur in a cluster at the top of the stem; July-August.

Leaves: Alternate;
hairy on edges and top side; oblong; up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide,
but generally much smaller in this area; leaf stem not well developed
on upper stalk.

Stem: Erect,
generally not branching; leaves become less common towards the
flowers; lacks a basal set of leaves; stem is coloured with reddish
streaks or colour; hairy.

Common
milkweed; also known as Silkweed, Milkplant, and silk grass, common
silkweed, cottonweed, milkweed, wild cotton, Virginia-silk,
algodoncillo, silky swallowwort; Perennial that reproduces by seed
and roots.

Flower: Lavender;
star-shaped individual flowers; dense clusters located at top of
plant where leaves join the stem; drooping, June to August.

General Interest:
The seed pods look like a large cocoon and seeds are carried on silky
fluff. This plant is a favourite to the Monarch butterfly. The plant
juices impart a bad taste to the mature butterflies, which serves to
protect the butterflies from birds. Candle wick made of the milkweed
silk burns cleaner than wick made of cotton. Milkweed contains
compounds that are toxic
to animals.

Milkweed flower
cluster. Monarch butterfly caterpillars feed on the milkweed
plant. The caterpillar accumulates the milky poison of the
milkweed. Birds and other insects recognize the markings of the
caterpillar, associate those markings with the poison or bad taste of
the caterpillar, and thus, avoid eating the caterpillar.

Yellow
evening primrose; biennial native to North America; also known as
evening primrose.

Family:
Evening-primrose (Onagraceae)

Flower: Yellow, 4
petals; 2-4 cm wide; 4 are fused when the flower is in bud, but split
and bend backwards when the flower opens; all along stems;
lemon-scented; June to September.

Stem: Branched,
reddish, hairy.

Leaves: Leafy,
hairy; low rosette of leaves produced the 1st year and a flower stalk
produced the 2nd year; the first-year leaves have red tinges along
midrib and a white mid-vein on the flat, basal rosettes; 6-20 cm long
when mature and in pairs, rough, hairy, pointed; 2nd year are
alternate, oblong to lance-shaped, 2-12 cm long; leaves reduce in
size upwards.

Height: 2 m.

Habitat:
Roadsides, edges of sandy fields, farmyards, and meadows and
tolerates dry, sandy and gravelly soil and full sun.

Other: This is a
plant that likes the night life. The flowers open at dusk and close
by noon the following day. It is pollinated by moths that are active
only at night. In the first year, Evening Primrose produces a
basal rosette of leaves. In the second year, it produces the
flowering stalk. It has a deep taproot that enables the plant to
survive periods of drought. Oils extracted from the flowers are used
in skin lotions.

General Interest:
Pale Corydalis is a member of the poppy family. It is a plant that
grows in areas immediately after a forest fire. It will remain in the
area for up to 5 years following fire. Therefore, Pale Corydalis
needs fire to survive. Pale Corydalis grows rapidly on dry soils of
the disturbed area. It is also common near campsites, especially dry
sunny exposures near the shore.

Habitat: Occurs in
dry fields, roadsides, open hillsides, and dry waste areas, including
open areas in mixed forests. Forms in colonies of many plants.

Other: This is a
parasitic plant the acquires some of its nutrients from the roots of
trees and shrubs. One product of the parasitic behaviour is
production of water, which may explain how the plant can survive in
dry conditions.

Interest 1: In
ancient times, the wild rose was considered sacred. The Greeks and
Romans used wild rose as the crowning ornament of their feasts. In
the lays of troubadours, rose and nightingale were united in songs
addressed to "fair women". This is perhaps the origin of
the use of the rose to symbolize love.

Other: Seed head
is a barley-like spike, typically nodding to one side; ripe seeds
have tiny, forward-pointing barbs that slide only one way. Because of
the barbs, this plant is dangerous to cows and horses when it
contaminates food hay because the seeds get caught in the animal's
nose, face, and mouth.

Habitat: Open
woods, along fences, roadsides, ditches and other open waste areas.

Other: All
parts of the plant contain volatile oil that causes severe skin rash
- avoid
contact! Poison
ivy contains urushiol, which is the allergenic agent found in most
parts of the plant. The chemicals are released when the plant is
damage. Poison ivy is probably responsible for more cases of plant
dermatitis in Canada than any other plant. Because urushiol can
contaminate clothes, tools, the fur of domestic animals and through
smoke if the plant is burned, humans can be infected indirectly. Many
humans are sensitized on first contact with the plant and then
develop dermatitis on subsequent contact.

Habitat: Forms
dense colonies in dry, open areas such as fields, old pastures, and
rocky areas.

Interest: The word
Antennaria refers to the projecting stamens developed on some flowers
that resemble insect antennae. These plants were used
historically for coughs, colds, bruises, as a post childbirth tonic
for mothers, and to treat snakebite. There is no scientific evidence
that the plant is effective for treating any of these conditions.
Pussytoes forms dense mats and releases material into the soil to
reduce competition from other plants.

Rough
cinquefoil;
also known as Norway cinquefoil, strawberry-weed, upright cinquefoil,
yellow cinquefoil; introduced
from Europe, but is also native to Americas; annual, biennial, or
short-lived perennial.

Flower: Yellow; 5
petals; as clusters at the ends of branches; June - October.

Stem: Upright,
hairy; branched; stems become woody and change from green to dull
purplish-red as the plant ages.

Leaves: 3
leaflets; toothed; stem leaves are alternate; lower leaves attach to
stems by way of long stalks; leaves along the upper part of the stem
have very short stalks. A pair of leaf-like appendages is located at
the base of each short stalk where it attaches to the stem.

Height: 20 - 75 cm.

Habitat: Open
sites with dry soil, roadsides, fields, old homesteads, and wastelands.

Other: A
cinquefoil with only 3 leaves? The rough cinquefoil has 3 leaflets,
not the 5 typical of other cinquefoil. During the Middle Ages,
cinquefoil was commonly included in love potions. Cinquefoil plants
are drought tolerant and few animals eat them. During
the Middle Ages, cinquefoil was commonly included in love potions.

Flower: Yellow;
small, 6 mm wide; elongated cluster of small flowers heads at top of
stem; flowers are not showy; June - September.

Stem: Tall, not branched.

Leaves: Up to 30
cm long; lanceolate to deeply lobed, stalkless; does not have the
spines of the Prickly Lettuce.

Height: 60 - 300
cm - very tall!

Habitat: In
addition to waste areas, roadsides, clearings, edges of forests, and
other dry, sandy places.

Interest: Wild
lettuce is a member of the sunflower family. The leaves and stem
exude milky juice when broken. The height of the plant, its leaves
and its very tiny flowers are distinctive aspects of this plant. The
Latin names is derived from Lactuca (meaning milky) and Canadensis
(of Canada). Wild lettuce is a relative of the garden lettuce. The
milky juice becomes firm and brown when exposed to air and looks and
smells like opium. There is no scientific research to support any
medical use.

Marsh
Hedge-nettle; perennial herb; member of the Mint Family; also known
as Woundwort, Roughweed, Clown's heal and Dead nettle.

Flower: Rose,
pink, lilac; mottled with light and dark tones; flowers occur in
whorls on a long spike terminating stem; individual flowers have
two-lobed upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip; up to 1.5 cm long;
usually 6 flowers in a whorl; the terminating spike may be up to 25
cm long; June - September.

Stem: Tall, not
branched; square in cross section; covered with hairs; up to 1 m tall.

Leaves: The leaves
are opposite, stalkless or occurring on short petioles; lanceolate to
elliptic in shape; up to 15 cm in length with toothed edges and a
pointed tip; hairy on both surfaces; deep green colour.

Interest: The
whole plant has a sour taste and the fresh leaves and stem contain
oxalic acid, which can cause poisoning if too much is eaten. Boiled
plants yield a yellowish-orange dye. The plant closes its leaves at
dusk and opens them again in the morning. It may also fold its leaves
when growing in direct sun or during storms. To spread its seed, the
seed pods burst open at the slightest touch, scattering seeds as far
as 2 metres away.